Search found 116 matches
- Thu Jun 16, 2011 2:42 pm
- Forum: General Taiji Quan Discussion
- Topic: What is distinctive about Taijiquan?
- Replies: 31
- Views: 61563
Re: What is distinctive about Taijiquan?
Where are you located in the world? I was in Beijing when I last responded, but now I'm back in Portland, OR. It's good to be back. I'll be hopping around quite a bit in the near future, though. Now try to move the pole in a linear manner without having any arcing motions in your body. All linear p...
- Thu Jun 16, 2011 2:15 pm
- Forum: Chinese Historical Arms
- Topic: Butterfly swords/knives
- Replies: 14
- Views: 31041
Re: Butterfly swords/knives
Most think that a good, lively balance is a simple matter of a certain point of balance. But in more than one case, I've noticed jian that ended up balanced like a clumsy crowbar after weight was added to the pommel. The POB was "right" but the mass distribution was wrong. So it could very well be ...
- Tue Jun 14, 2011 4:47 am
- Forum: Chinese Historical Arms
- Topic: Butterfly swords/knives
- Replies: 14
- Views: 31041
Re: Butterfly swords/knives
As a student of primarily Western weapon arts, I don't understand butterfly swords. Even after studying some Wing Chun, they seem bizarre to me. They are weighted completely unlike any weapon I've ever used. Generally I tend to trust weapons that appear independently in many different cultures, but ...
- Mon Jun 13, 2011 11:50 pm
- Forum: General Taiji Quan Discussion
- Topic: What is distinctive about Taijiquan?
- Replies: 31
- Views: 61563
Re: What is distinctive about Taijiquan?
JHepworthYoung, it seems to be that most of what you have described is a method of organizing Taiji knowledge. For example, you mention 4 directions of motion, plus center. Other arts might choose to divide up motion into 8 directions, or 16 directions, etc. Likewise, while you could divide "energy"...
- Mon Jun 13, 2011 5:27 am
- Forum: General Taiji Quan Discussion
- Topic: What is distinctive about Taijiquan?
- Replies: 31
- Views: 61563
Re: What is distinctive about Taijiquan?
I'm certainly no expert and have only studied taijiquan. I'm repeating what I've been taught to say that taijiquan is recognised as an internal martial art while many others are external. This question now needs input from people who have studied more than one art. Well yes, it's always in comparis...
- Mon Jun 13, 2011 2:44 am
- Forum: General Taiji Quan Discussion
- Topic: Motivation Ideas Wanted
- Replies: 9
- Views: 20100
Re: Motivation Ideas Wanted
Here's one for when you're around classmates: Compare yourself to the person who just started, not the person above you. More advanced students and teachers are good to look at as role models, but if you're not at their level yet, you probably don't know exactly how to get there(besides practicing a...
- Mon Jun 13, 2011 2:34 am
- Forum: General Taiji Quan Discussion
- Topic: What is distinctive about Taijiquan?
- Replies: 31
- Views: 61563
Re: What is distinctive about Taijiquan?
Taijiquan is distinctive from most martial arts in that it trains a person to strengthen and make use of their ligaments bones, mind and breath, rather than muscles. It brings energy for every strike through a rooted leg, using the whole body as a tool to power it. Of course, many students tend to ...
- Mon May 30, 2011 1:25 pm
- Forum: General Taiji Quan Discussion
- Topic: What is distinctive about Taijiquan?
- Replies: 31
- Views: 61563
What is distinctive about Taijiquan?
Regardless of style, I find it useful to periodically ask this question: What is distinctive about your martial art? What makes Taijiquan (or Yangjia Taijiquan, specifically) different from other martial arts? I say "periodically" because we are all students, and our understanding changes over time....
- Sun Jan 02, 2011 12:47 am
- Forum: General Taiji Quan Discussion
- Topic: Would anyone like access to Tang Hao's books?
- Replies: 2
- Views: 12186
Re: Would anyone like access to Tang Hao's books?
Well, as a sinologist and ma practitioner of many years, I've known Tang Hao's and Xu Zhen's (a collegue of Tang) works for many years. Though they have been of great importance, times have progressed and nowadays, their works are only secondary sources, as both scholars have been proven to have fo...
- Sat Jan 01, 2011 10:17 am
- Forum: General Taiji Quan Discussion
- Topic: Would anyone like access to Tang Hao's books?
- Replies: 2
- Views: 12186
Would anyone like access to Tang Hao's books?
Do a little bit of scholarly research on the history of Chinese martial arts and you quickly discover that there's not much in the way of secondary source material. The English-language sources are mostly interested in either history or martial arts but rarely both, while the Chinese-language source...
- Mon Aug 16, 2010 11:53 pm
- Forum: Chinese Swordsmanship
- Topic: Name of Wooden Swords
- Replies: 58
- Views: 99841
Re: Name of Wooden Swords
I have every right to make an argument that you disagree with, that doesn't make it a personal affront. I restrained myself from dissecting your earlier posts because I think I've made my main point well enough that I don't need to repeat myself. But this thread is quickly taking a very confrontatio...
- Mon Aug 16, 2010 11:26 am
- Forum: Chinese Swordsmanship
- Topic: Name of Wooden Swords
- Replies: 58
- Views: 99841
Re: Name of Wooden Swords
Well put, JHepworthYoung. I would only add that it appears to me that those who understand foreign cultures the most are the ones who exoticize them the least. When I have spoken to scholars who study these things professionally, they seem to universally maintain a down-to-earth attitude, with a nua...
- Fri Aug 13, 2010 11:58 pm
- Forum: Chinese Swordsmanship
- Topic: Name of Wooden Swords
- Replies: 58
- Views: 99841
Re: Name of Wooden Swords
I so detest the terms: "straight-sword" for jian and "broadsword" for dao. There is a tendency towards genericism, in contemporary martial arts circles. The elimination of a cultures native terminology, for easier to pronounce English translations... is, in and of itself, a form of cultural sterili...
- Fri Aug 13, 2010 4:15 am
- Forum: Chinese Swordsmanship
- Topic: Name of Wooden Swords
- Replies: 58
- Views: 99841
Re: Name of Wooden Swords
Well, I don't agree here. We are not only talking of generalized terms like gonfu, wushu or guoshu. For me, most important are technical term, which lack any equivalent in western languages. Be it Qi, Shen, Jing or terms link fangsong, songzhen or the like, they are just not transferable one to one...
- Thu Aug 12, 2010 1:46 pm
- Forum: Chinese Swordsmanship
- Topic: Name of Wooden Swords
- Replies: 58
- Views: 99841
Re: Name of Wooden Swords
The conservation of foreign words as opposed to the translation of concepts is a fascinating practice. What motivates this? Pride? Secrecy? Boredom? I wouldn't know. Two things, I think: 1) It has an exotic appeal. 2) It is a repetition/preservation of how earlier teachers taught the art. That is t...